hendrik kerstens

Producing digital photographs in the manner of old dutch master paintings and and those of the Italian renaissance from the 17th century, Hendrik Kerstens creates these clear dialogues between the art of painting and the art of photography. Hendrik Kerstens is an autodidact who decided in 1995 to dedicate himself entirely to photography. He is well‐known for his documentation of the important moments in his daughter Paula’s life, which earned him a Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize in 2008 from the National Portrait Gallery London.The association with painting is emphasized by the sharpness of his photographs. Having a model close to hand, Kerstens portraits his daughter Paula again and again. Creating seemingly ‘old’ and yet modern images. Dressing his models heads in thing as plastic bags, lampshades or doilies the viewer needs a second look to wholly assimilate what he is seeing. His references are not only old master paintings, but these in relation to his daughters life and today’s world. Conceptually Kerstens’ photographs address issues of seriality, time and identity, while emotionally they speak of his love for his child and their ongoing collaboration.